Further Back
by Hika-chan1
Summary: What if when Kagome first went back IY had only been sealed for 15 years, and at the same time he had a visitor?
1. The Two Brothers

Blah blah blah Inu Yasha I no own, Takahashi Rumiko owns him.. yadda yadda   
  
**Further Back**   
An Inu Yasha fic by Hika-chan   
  
AN: This is kind of an Alternate Universe thing in that Sesshoumaru and Inu Yasha are a _little_ more brotherly (they only hate each other as much as normal brothers do :), and Sesshoumaru is more prone to grin when he is amused... so Sess is a little OOC here  
This first episode thing kinda follows the story of the first the episode and a little bit after, but that will change with later chapters I promise!  
  
Episode 1: The Two Brothers  
  
Kagome had never expected what her senses told her in that moment. She felt the gust of wind behind her brushing through her hair. Her ears told her that the lid on the well had fallen to the ground. Her nose was greeted with an odd smell almost like decay and rot but not so potent, perhaps it was like that of bones. She could almost taste something equally odd, something very unfamilar but familar, like when your mouth goes dry. But most prominently the girl saw the fear in her brother's eyes, but she had yet to comprehend why.  
  
As her mind processed the smell arms grabbed her pulling her backwards and down. Her face was turned by hands and she stared into the empty white eyes of what she realized was some horid creature. It all felt like she was floating, not moving, but at the same time she knew she was falling down. Her face contorted with disgust as the woman-thing licked her face. "IYA!" She screamed and threw out her hand. She didn't know why she did that, she should have punched or kicked, an act that logically would produce more force. But floating in empty space held by a topless six armed woman was not defined as a logical situation, and neither was the result of her would be ineffectual action.  
  
In fact it was quite effective. A bright light came from her palm severing the arm that held hers and forcing the odd thing to let her go. "I won't let you go! SHIKON NO TAMA!" the voice faded out as Kagome felt herself be pushed upright. Shikon no tama? The falling sensation slowed and she landed at the dirt bottom of the well. She dropped to her hands and knees, on the verge of hyperventalating. _What was that!?_  
  
  
***  
  
He didn't know why he came to this forest on occasion, it was a reminder he told himself, a reminder that emoitions were for the weak and caused only pain and death. He shouldn't say that he came on occasion, it had become almost an annual ritual for him, as though he still needed the reminder, which of course he did not.  
  
He stopped some in the small clearing that was his destination. It was almost a perfect circle, this clearing, and right in the middle of it was a tree. It was older than he by centuries, which considering how often humans cut down trees for homes and such, was quite an accomplishment in his mind. It was at least four centuries, maybe five, but for a plant that had no way of protecting itself one had no choice but to admire it. Around it large branches, like roots but not, grew out from the ground as though to form a path up to the figure pinned to it.  
  
The man looked at the red robed form, his expression nearing sentimentality. "Hello... Inu Yasha."  
  
***  
  
Kagome had crawled out of the well, now that she was out of it, sitting in the forest that she _just knew_ should not be there she wondered if she was dreaming. Maybe she fell into the well and hit her head. But it all felt so real, especially the odd sensation that pourd through her body when she fell in and when she blasted that monster. She shuddered remembering the arm was still at the bottom of the well. At the time she had not thought about it, but it had been brighter than it should have been in the well, since in her home it was covered in a shrine. And the vines she had used to climb out, the well had been sealed since before she was born, nothing should have been growing in there.  
  
Suffice to say, this was all very odd.  
  
Nothing seemed to make sense but she had to find out where she was and get home. Maybe there was some passage that lead to another well. Yes that must be it! That decided she even wonder how she had gotten from one well to anothner and began to walk through the forest. "Mama! Souta! Ojiisan!.. Buyo?"  
  
  
***  
  
"Look what love has done to you Inu Yasha, the woman you loved sealed you to a tree... and you killed her. Wheter or not you intended to or not you killed her." He sighed and shook his silver head, "Love, such a foolish thing that brings the powerful to their deaths. Yes, I believed you were powerful, I helped make you that way, strong. Goading you into a fight was always an easy thing. But I have gotten off the subject. You and our father, brought to your deaths by love. That singular emotion that brought you into a battle which cost you your lives." He chuckled at the irony, but his amber eyes that would match that of the figure he visited if they were open, did not look as though he were truly amused. "Who ever said 'love will set you free?' I have only seen it cause death. After witnessing this I have decided that I will never let such a foolhardy thing touch my heart."  
  
He breathed out a slow breath and his shoulders slumped some, "Or maybe it is just the fault of these human women you and father had the taste for. Honestly Inu Yash-"  
  
He stopped his Youkai senses picking up a presence approaching. He could hear the voice clearly, it was a woman, no a girl... actually she was somewhere in between, but she was unsure and lost. "Mama!" she called again. "Ah! The Goshinboku!" he heard her exclaim hopefully before her pace increased in his direction. He debated for a whole two seconds whether or not to allow himself to be seen, he did not feel like dealing with humans right now. He jumped swiftly onto the branches of his brother's tree and then jumped to a higher branch so that the leaves and branches would conceal him better.  
  
He smelled her before he saw her, like cherry blossoms and the air after a spring rain. She emerge from the brush and watched as her joy from whatever she thought she had found melted into confusion. She wore the oddest clothes he had ever seen, and having met several kitsune and once even witnessing a contest of sorts where they tried to come up with the most exotic outfits, that was saying quite alot. Her shirt had to be a pull over, but it was short and around her waist was a pleated piece of cloth, one so short that he thought it must have been made for a child. "A kid.." she muttered, staring at Inu Yasha.  
  
Her hair was black as night, which was no real surprise, these humans were all so simialr in appearance, either brown or black hair. But her eyes, they were a stunning shade of blue, one that he had not seen in a human thusfar in his life. He watched with mild amusement as she questioned what Inu Yasha was doing. She obviously had no clue about seals and such otherwise she would have had no need to ask. He actually grinned as she rubbed his ears, a habit he had once had when Inu Yasha was younger. His half-brother had not minded while he was a child, but once he became an adolescent he found the gesture to be somewhat demeaning, as though his older brother was treating him like a baby. Which of course meant that he had done it very often.  
  
He was actually somewhat surprised when the humans fired on her. Oh he knew they were coming, but that they actually _fired_ was not quite expected. Of course he sincerly hoped they had missed her on purpose. Otherwise he had no idea how these human things survived. As they carried her off, she protested in confusion and they bound her wrists. He watched the show and when they were gone he lay back against the tree's base sighed. "Serves her right for getting lost," Sesshoumaru muttered.  
  
  
***  
  
Kagome was throughly confused as she sat on the mat, the people gossiped about her but she was too busy staring back at them to hear what they were saying. Why did all the men have those top knots? And they all wore yukatas and kimonos... what was going on? "Kaede-sama's coming!" she heard a male voice say. She turned and a woman broke the crowed before her. The first thing she noticed was the patch over her right eye, she wore miko's clothing, similar to her grandfather's only red instead of blue. Her long black hair was tied back, once again in a very old style. If Kagome had to guess she would say the woman was about twenty-five, give or take a few years.  
  
She coughed and sputtered, shaking her head at the woman through some grain or other such stuff on her "HEY!"  
  
The woman seemed surprised, as though whatever she had expected to happen didn't. "She's human."  
  
"Of course I'm human! What else would I be?"  
  
The woman blinked at her, suddenly taking her chin in her hands. "Let me see your face. Come now try to look more serious." Kagome had almost had enough of this nonesense when the woman pulled back. "You look like Kikyou-oneesama." Kagome just blinked at the woman.  
  
  
***  
  
  
Night came and her situation was more clear, of course she still had no idea where she was. If she could have one thing right now, she would be home. If she could have two.. then she'd want to know where the hell she was, she took a taste of the soup the miko had offered her... then again some salt might be nice too. Kaede explained about her older sister, who Kagome obviously looked like because as soon as the miko mentioned it other villagers began to realize the similarities as well.  
  
There was not much more time for talk when they heard shouts and crashes coming from the village. The two women rushed out of the hut, "It's that thing from before!"  
  
Hearing her the centipeade woman turned on her, "Give it to me! Shikon no Tama!"  
  
"You have it?" Kaede immediately asked her as the horse's corpse was dropped before them.  
  
"I don't know anything about that dumb tama!" Kagome shouted back, scrambling away from the animal's body.  
  
Kaede grabbed her bow and arrows, "We have to lead it to Inu Yasha's Forest!"  
  
"You mean to that light?"  
  
"What?" But it was too late the strange girl was already running, taking the centipeade youkai with her.  
  
***  
  
Kagome ran harder than she ever had before, she thought her heart was going to explode of spring out of her chest. Her legs hurt, and the impact with each panicked step seemed to trail up her body straight into her head so that she could barely think. What the hell was she doing here anyway? When would she wake up? Oh god she didn't want to die. Die? No I can't! Somehow she ran faster when that thought hit her. _Oh Kami! Mama, Souta, Ojiisan help me!_ "Oh kami please," she panted in shallow breaths before an unexpected scream came from her throat, "Someone HELP!"  
  
  
***  
  
His eyes opened, Sesshoumaru sat up in the tree, when had he dozed off? He had never before understood his brother's affinity for sleeping in trees but if he had just fallen asleep here it must have been comfortable. Oh yeah, a noise woke him, a scream. He did not have to listen very hard to hear the beast crashing through the woods. He smelled that odd girl again, fear and sweat tainting her scent. He jumped down from the tree landing between it and the approaching confrontation.  
  
He saw the girl first, she had been looking behind her and tripped, falling she landed at his feet. She looked up at him as he looked down, disinterested at the sight before him.  
  
"Sesshoumaru?" The youkai froze at the voice and slowly turned around, how could he have missed this turn of events?  
  
***  
  
His eyes opened, he could feel his pulse quickening as he smelled her, that cursed miko witch who stuck him to this tree... Kikyou. His clawed hands curled he reached for the arrow but could not touch it. _CHIKUSHO!_  
  
His cursing was forgotten suddenly when he saw the white haired form jump to the ground infront of him. Even from behind the figure looked familiar. He sniffed the air, shock registering in his mind with the scent. Kikyou ran out of the woods in odd clothing and fell at the white haired youkai's feet.  
  
"Sesshoumaru?"  
  
***  
  
Branches were scraping at her arms and legs but right now none of that mattered, she was running for her life. Now that she tought of it, though she had saved the village from further damage by running, it was foolish to run so far. With no one out here to save her she was as good as dead if she stopped running. Suddenly she stopped running, though not by choice, tripping on something or other she fell to the ground. She groaned and lifted her head, she had to get up! But she stopped seeing the feet before her. Slowly her eyes trailed up and saw an odd person looking down at her. Her blue eyes met with golden ones and for some reason she found herself unable to move.  
  
"Sesshoumaru?" The man before her started and turned around, once his eyes left hers she found she could move. But just as hypnotising as his eyes had been the voice, she looked to the source of it, the boy pinned on the tree. "Sesshoumaru, what are you doing here with Kikyou?"  
  
The youkai's eyes lit up, not paying attention to his brother's question Sesshoumaru jumped over to the hanyou. He masked that he was happy about the fact. "Inu Yasha you're awake. How?"  
  
"'Cause I could smell _her._" Kagome did not like the way she spat the last word when he turned to her. But she had little time to worry about it when the centipeade woman showed up, nearly ramming into her. She yelped and scrambled to the base of the tree.  
  
Sesshoumaru completely ignored the girl in her plight. "_She's_ the one who pinned you here? Some how I find that hard to believe." He glanced at her, _She's far too young... not to mention that naive expression she's been walking around with._ "Are you sure?"  
  
"You think I would forget the smell of the woman who sealed me?!" In the background Kagome sighed with relief when the villagers showed up, reeling back the beast.  
  
"Well you have been sealed here for fifteen years."  
  
"Feh!" Inu Yasha turned to the woman. "Come on Kikyou why you just finish her off? One shot like you did me, come on Kikyou."  
  
Oh that was it, Kagome stood up marching angrily towards him standing next to Sesshoumaru as though he wasn't there. "Kikyou, Kikyou, Kikyou, I am _not_ Kikyou. My name is Kagome! Ka.Go. Me."  
  
"Of course you-" he stopped and sniffed, "You're not Kikyou." He was looked at by both his brother and the girl, looks that said "I told you so," though Sesshoumaru looked much more smug. "I should have known, Kikyou looked more intelligent, and beautiful."  
  
Kagome did not know how to react. "Eh?" _Of all the nerve!_   
  
"You are lucky," Sesshoumaru said, "If you were the woman who did this to my brother I would have to kill you."  
  
"I don't need you to do anything for me!"  
  
Sesshoumaru grinned, "The fact that you're stuck on that tree like you are tells me different." Then he noticed as the centipede broke free from the villager's hold. He jumped up into the lower branches.  
  
The centipede grabbed Kagome and she took hold of the locks on either side of Inu Yasha's face. Sesshoumaru tried not to laugh. Kaede arrived on her horse, quite surprised to see Inu Yasha awake and yelling at the girl who was her sister's likeness. "The shikon no tama!" the youkai-woman cried, "give it to me!"  
  
_Shikon no tama!?_ The centipede's mouth morphed, her canines growing to an unreal size. "NO!!" Kagome screamed, throwing her hand out again, this time when the youkai was thrown back her remaining arms fell off. "How did I?" suddenly there was a glowing coming from under her shirt. The thing bit into Kagome there and threw her up in the air.  
  
Everything seemed to slow as she watched, with bits of flesh and her blood was a small glass ball. _How did that..._ Then gravity took hold over her momentum and she fell to the ground, after bouncing off the youkai's long body.  
  
"Give that to me! Hurry!" Before Kagome could react to the boy with dog ears the centipede wrapped around them, pinning her against him. He looked up into the tree. "Dammit why don't you do something!?"  
  
Sesshoumaru, who was sitting up in the tree somewhat leisurely considering the situation. "I thought you didn't need my help for anything, and that jewel is of no concern to me." He was grinning again, this time about Inu Yasha's somewhat comprimising position. "Besides I would not lower my self to killing that."  
  
"Why you!?"  
  
The centipede woman did not go right to the jewel instead she took a moment to mock the hanyou. "Ahh yes, I heard about you, the hanyou punk after the Shikon no tama. Your him aren't you?" "Ha! You're nothing compared to me!"  
  
"Are you really strong?" Kagome asked. It sounded to her like he was more willing to fight then his brother who merely watched from above.  
  
Said brother decided to take his turn in mocking him, "Well I'm not sure if I'd call him strong but he's certainly more than enough to take out this trash."  
  
"Ahh.. but he can't do anything bound like that," The centipede teased, "What a nice seal that is. So just sit back and watch." With that her long tounge came out and grabbed the Shikon no tama. Kagome watched horrified as her arms returned to her body and her old skin came off to reveal some macabre upgrade.  
  
Her attention was pulled away when Inu Yasha spoke, "Can you pull this arrow out?"  
  
"Arro-" her voice was cut off as the youkai squeezed harder, she didn't even hear Kaede warn her against freeing him.  
  
"Well? Do you really want to die here?"  
  
_Die?_ She shook her head and reached for the arrow, "Die here? NEVER!!" With her shout the arrow dissolved, she felt the power radiate off him, then heard his laughter. It almost sounded psychotic.  
  
Sesshoumaru raised a brow in interest when he felt the girl's power and shook his head hearing his borther's laughter, _Well, looks like he's a bit too happy to be free again. _ From there it didn't take long for the pathetic youkai to be killed. Kaede handed the jewel to Kagome claiming that only she could use it. From there Inu Yasha turned on her immediately demanding she handed it over or face death. _Hmph well that's gratitude for you._ Sesshoumaru was actually somewhat dissapointed when it looked like Inu Yasha was going to kill her. He was curious about this girl, her clothes, her mannerisms and her power. Oh well.  
  
He watched as he chased her then cursed when Kaede pulled out a string of beads. He realized there would be no way to stop whatever she was doing, and he was not going to let his best sparring partner be sealed again. "Inu Yasha!" He came down from the tree and pushed the hanyou over, ironically getting caught with the rosary around his neck. He stood and looked menacingly at the miko. "Woman, you had best undo this. Now." He began walking towards her as she pulled another rosary out.  
  
"Kagome say something to restrain him!"  
  
"What!?" She yelped and dodged Inu Yasha's claw.  
  
"Just say something!"  
  
"Uh... uh... DOWN!" And for the first time in his life Sesshoumaru was forced to eat dirt. A low growl emanated from his chest. To be held by so simple a spell was truly embrassing and enraging.  
  
Kagome watched as another set of beads cometed around Inu Yasha's neck. "Another word! For Inu Yasha!"  
  
"Yaaa!!" Kagome fell down to the base of a bridge, dropping the jewel. She watched as it rolled and Inu Yasha landed right infront of it. "ano.... SIT!" Wham! He tried to get up again, the growl frankly scared her, so she said it again, "SIT!" She had almost completely forgotten about the other one, especially since he wasn't trying to kill her.  
  
Sesshoumaru was walking up behind the miko, but did not make it to her before she sensed him. "Kagome the other!"  
  
"Nani? DOWN! SIT! DOWN! SIT!"   
  
WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!  
  
Next to Kaede Sesshoumaru was face down on the ground. He lifted his head and glared at the miko speaking through clenched teeth, "There was no need for that."   
  
She turned to Inu Yasha who was trying to remove his new fashion accessory, "You can't take it off Inu Yasha," she looked down to Sesshoumaru, "And neither can you."  
  
"Why you! I'll rip you apart!"  
  
"Kagome?"  
  
"Sit!" To her surprise Kagome watched as Inu Yasha fell through the brige and into the river below. She picked up the jewel and looked through the hole. "Sit it is I guess..."  
  
Kaede looked to the youkai next to her, "And what are we going to do about you?"  
  
Sesshoumaru stood, and clamly wiped himself off. He looked over to the girl with the power to bring him to his knees, or more accuratly to the ground. He seriously debated whether or not he could reach her before she could say a word. He looked between Kaede and Kagome, not sure who he should ask. "You could take this off."  
  
------------------  
Hika-chan: Is this just stupid? Should I go on?... I have too many IY ideas for my own good...  
I have no idea what pairings will result from this yet (I have to get off my Kag/Sess high so I can think more clearly) But there are love polygons in the works (simply because triangles are too simple for Takashi's stuff just look at Ranma @_@)  
  
Chikusho- I'm not sure if I spelled it right but it's pretty much a curse word... which one I'm not sure.  
Kami- more or less "God"  



	2. Sayonara Boys

*dances around in circles singing* I don't own Inu YaSHA! I don't own Inu YaSHA! 

**Further Back**  
Chapter 2: Sayonara Boys...  


(AN: Yeah I know this is still going along with the early eps but that will change soon I promise... if I ever get back around to it anyway ^_^')  
  
Kagome sighed, she was stuck in this time with two irate dog demons who seemed quite content to work out their frustrations on each other, both verbally and physically. One good thing so far was that she got a decent amount of fruit and vegtables from the villagers as offerings. Knowing she couldn't eat all of it she went in search of the two youkai. She found them sitting in a tree, Inu Yasha shouting and pointing up at Sesshoumaru. "I told you to stop calling me that years ago!"  
  
Sesshoumaru was above him sitting indian style looking down his nose at the increasingly angry hanyou. "And what are you gonna do about it pup?"  
  
"I rip your lungs out for starters!"  
  
"Fruit."  
  
"Huh?" without any other warning the fruit Kagome had thrown smacked into the back of his head. Inu Yasha's arms waved about frantically before he caught his balance.   
  
"hmm.. I thought you were gonna catch it." She muttered.  
  
He turned and landed in front of Kagome teeth bared. "What the hell do you want!?"  
  
She blinked at him, seemingly unfazed by his tone. She held up another fruit, "The villagers gave me some... offerings, I wanted to share them with you guys. You know since we'll be working together."  
  
As she settled down under the tree she looked up at the youkai still in the tree, "Sesshoumaru why don't you come do-, why don't you join us?" She was ignoring the suspicious way Inu Yasha was staring at her.  
  
"Because, I have no intention of 'working' with you. And I would much prefer that you do not address me so casually." Despite his rude response he was quite glad she caught herself before using _that word._  
  
"Ok Sesshoumaru-_SAMA_ then why are you still here?" Sesshoumaru huffed and turned his head away, _because I refuse to return home with this.. this collar around my neck,_ he thought distastefully.  
  
"He's probably waiting for you to take the rosary off him," Inu Yasha muttered through a full mouth.  
  
"Aren't you hungry?"  
  
"I do not require human food."  
  
Kagome's brow crinkled in mild confusion, "Well humans aren't the only ones that eat this stuff... so it's really just food, not _human food._" She retorted logically. He titled his head up and proceeded to ignore the school girl. Realizing there was no way to get friendlier with Sesshoumaru through his stomach she turned to Inu Yasha, who still watched her suspiciously. "What?"  
  
"This is good food!" he said over enthusiastically without the facial expression to match.  
  
"Why are you looking at me like that?"  
  
"What are you plotting?"  
  
Kagome sighed, "Look since we're stuck together for now I thought it would be nice if we became a little friendlier."  
  
"Feh!" He was about to retort when he saw a sudden blur of motion behind the girl. He looked up into the tree and her gaze followed suit. Sesshoumaru had come down, picked up a piece of food, and jumped back into the tree. Kagome grinned, she had barely noticed the odd rush of air behind her but was happy to find out what it was. Inu Yasha dropped his vegatable that looked like a big white carrot.. (I don't know what those are) and jumped into the tree, looking somewhat pouty.  
  
"Now what? Are you mad because I look like Kikyou? I'm not Kikyou I'm Kagome."  
  
"Just you wait girl! I'm gonna steal that jewel from you and become a full youkai!"  
  
Sesshoumaru paused, he was about to bite into the fruit when Inu Yasha made this proclimation. _That's why he wants it?.. What am I thinking? Of course that's why. He wants to be stronger._  
  
"Sure you will," she said distantly looking at her own food as though it were very interesting. "Of course if either of you gets out of control I can just say 'sit' or 'down'-"  
  
WHAM! WHAM! Kagome winced, on either side of her was a face down dog demon, she certainly hoped this wouldn't hurt their possible friendships. "Oh sorry sorry cancel that ok?"  
  
Inu Yasha cursed and grasped at his necklace. Sesshoumaru pushed himself up, stood, and casually brushed himself off, for some reason the elder brother's reaction worried Kagome more. He picked her up by the collar of her shirt until she stood. Sesshoumaru pointed one clawed finger at her face. "Be more careful with your words girl, next time you slip up like that I will not hesitate to rip out your vocal cords before you can get past the first letter understand?" His calm tone had frightened her more than the words, almost as though his threat was natural. She stared at him wide eyed before swallowing the lump in her throat. He raised a brow that asked if she understood and she nodded. "Good." He turned and walked away from them and the village.  
  
"Oy! Where ya goin'?"  
  
"Hunting."  
  
Inu Yasha looked after his brother than at the girl "Che," he muttered than wandered back towards the village. Kagome sat alone under the tree feeling as though she had utterly failed in her attempt. She gathered her things a few minutes later and brought the fruit and vegtables to Kaede's hut.  
  
"Where have you been?" she asked curiously looking at all the food.  
  
"I went to think and the villagers started giving me stuff. So I decided to see if I could get Inu Yasha and Sesshoumaru to be more sociable."  
  
"I see.. and?"  
  
"I don't think it worked, Inu Yasha came back to the village and Sesshoumaru went hunting."  
  
"Hunting for what?"  
  
Kagome paused she hadn't thought about that, she hoped he wasn't going to kill and eat anyone.  
  
***  
  
Sesshoumaru chewed on the fruit, to be honest he had been almost purely a carnivore all his life, never bothering to try berries or the like. At first he thought it was quite revolting and almost threw it away before realizing that only the inside and not the peel was meant to be eaten. It was quite good actually, though he was unuse to the taste. It was sweet but not overly so, he could not think of any other way to describe it but 'fruity'. He really wasn't going hunting either, though if he came across an animal he was hungry enough to kill it. But thinking was his intent and best done far away from the impatient, active Inu Yasha and the nosy girl.  
  
_What an interesting child. _He thought. _She was able to break Inu Yasha's seal and even after he tried to kill her, made an effort to become his friend... and mine._ He shook his head, _an odd girl indeed._   
  
***  
  
As Kagome slept that night she was watched by hungry eyes that were swiftly chased off by claws. Inu Yasha cursed as the crows scattered, he had missed the demon and now it had the shikon no tama's scent. "Chikusho."  
  
"Really Inu Yasha I thought you were faster than that."  
  
He didn't need to turn to know that his brother was on a branch right behind him. He had always loved those surprising dramatic entrances. "If you're so fast why didn't _you_ kill it?" he asked accusingly.  
  
Sesshoumaru gave the hanyou a measuring gaze, "Because I do not care. The shikon no tama is not my concern."  
  
"Feh."  
  
***  
  
Kagome's day had not gone very well, she had been the jewel's guardian not even a whole forty eight hours and she had already shattered it. Shattered! It might not have happened had Sesshoumaru bothered to lend a hand though. But nooo he was above such "trivial matters". She swam through the cold waters of the lake, determined to get all the grime off her body. _What a snob... maybe I should just take the rosary off and let him go if he won't help..._ An idea came to mind, she almost grinned, _Or maybe..._  
  
Inu Yasha sat atop a small cliff examining the scene below him. Kaede was by the fire with the shikon shard not far below him and the girl was in the water, if he could get to it before she resurfaced he could be away from that wretched girl and her word.  
  
Sesshoumaru approached his brother from behind. Looking at his brother's back he asked, "What are you doing?"  
  
Before he could be answered he turned to the sound of the girl breaking the surface of the water. It was nothing he hadn't seen before and assumed the same of his brother since he didn't seem to react. Apparently the girl thought about the situation in a completely different way than they did. After about two seconds of staring at the two of them on the ridge she screamed, "SIT DOOOWN!" WHAM! WHAM! Sesshoumaru had to admit he was lucky that he was not right next to the edge like Inu Yasha had been. "You Perverts!" she yelled indignantly rushing behind a bush to change. Once again Sesshoumaru stood and brushed himself off. _Damn I'm going to have to get my clothes cleaned more often if things keep going at this rate._ He looked over the cliff and realized that dispite her efforts he could see her back quite well from this angle, however not wanting to debase himself further by being put face first in the ground... again, her turned away. But she did have nice skin for a human, aparently flawless save for the wound from where the centipede woman had ripped the shikon no tama. He walked around breifly pondering her beauty, for he appreciated it in all its forms and jumped down beside Kaede and Inu Yasha.  
  
"I know you were looking for a chance at this," she said to the hanyou holding out the shard, she turned to Sesshoumaru, "But what were you doing?"  
  
"He was being a pervert!"  
  
He raised a brow as she came from behind the bush dressed in a miko's garb. Sesshoumaru then looked at his brother who appeared to be struck dumb by her appearance. He turned back to her, "I was asking what my brother was doing. It was simply a matter of timing that I saw you."   
  
He gauged her reaction, she was actually trying to stare _him_ down. By the way she was looking at him one would have never imagined he threatened her life just yesterday. In reality, he realized, she was trying to figure out if that was the truth of the situation, if he was lying or not. Naturally the youkai prince would not back down and so gold and blue pools looked into each other. Hers trying to decifer his intent and his just looking, conveying a message of superiority. "Do I have a reason to lie?" He asked plainly still holding her eye.  
  
A -hmph- and a turn of the head was all she did to answer him. He wondered for a second if she was mimicking him in order to rile him. It was not a good idea, but if she was trying, she was lucky that he was slow to anger.  
  
Kaede took this oppourtunity to try and dispel the tension that had grown from the staring match. "It is necessary that you work together to gather the shikon shards, she can sense them and your powers are necessary."  
  
"I will do no such thing." Sesshoumaru declared.  
  
Kagome grinned, "If you want that rosary off you will."  
  
"Nanda?"  
  
Kagome's hands found a resting place on her hips as she looked at him with a superior smile, "You help us get the shards and the rosary comes off."  
  
"Fine. I'll help. Now take it off."  
  
Her eyebrows raised, _He can't honestly think I'm that stupid_, "I'll take it off when we get all the pieces, or when I feel I can trust you not to rip me apart." His eyes on hers he titled his head as if to say 'You've got to be kidding me'.  
  
Before another staring contest could ensue one of the woman from the village approached, something about her sick daughter. Kaede turned to them, "I'm going to go take care of this, all of you..." she stopped herself before asking them to not fight, that was far too much to ask, "...try not to kill each other."  
  
They remained in silence until Kaede was out of sight, "Hey" Inu Yasha said, the first to speak, "Take it off." A smirk tugged at Sesshoumaru's lips as the girl bashed him on the head with a rock. _Didn't know he had it in him to be so foward._  
  
"Pervert."  
  
"I didn't say get naked! I mean put you're own stupid clothes back on."  
  
"Ohhh... it bugs you 'cause I look like Kikyou, doesn't it?"  
  
"Feh!" He crossed his arms and turned his back to her. Kagome made a decision and gathered her clothes from where they were drying. "Hey where're you goin'?"  
  
"I decided I'm going home," She said plainly. Sesshoumaru huffed, at least this way he would be rid of the girl.... but then he still had the cursed collar around his neck. His eyes narrowed in frustration, _Dammit._  
  
Inu Yasha jumped up, "Hey! You can't just leave."  
  
"Watch me, and my name's not 'hey' it's Kagome."  
  
"Dammit, get back here you!"  
  
"'You' is not my name either."  
  
"HEY! YOU!" Inu Yasha growled and jumped infront of her. "At least give me shard before you leave."  
  
She pulled the small pouch out from her robe dangling it right infront of his face. "Oh you mean this?" She paused and looked at the bag then back up at him, "Sit." WHAM! "Sayonara Inu Yasha." She walked away twirling the bag around her finger, until Sesshoumau intercepted her and grabbed her wrist. She looked blankly at his hand on her wirst then up at him.  
  
"Woman before you go take this wretched collar off me."  
  
"Geeze are you two incapable of hearing someone's name?"  
  
"I am perfectly aware of your name, just removed this."  
  
"Let me go."  
  
"Remove it."  
  
"Down." Kagome had assumed he would let go when she said it but instead she was dragged down to her knees and her wrist was between his palm in the ground. She pried her hand out from his and he stared up at her coldly. She smiled at him sweetly and continued her walk, "Sayonara Sesshoumaru," then as an after thought, "...sama."  
  
Sesshoumaru stood and continued with his new ritual of dusting himself off and looked after her with a cold glare. _That woman is completely insufferable._ His brother came up behind him, "You just gonna let her leave like that?"  
  
"For now? Yes." He then began to strip himself of his clothing, _She can't get that far on her own, I'll track her down later._  
  
"What the hell are you doing?"  
  
He looked at his brother as though it were obvious, "I am going to bathe." Inu Yasha threw his arms up in the air and walked away.  
  
-----------------------------------------------------  



End file.
